Operation: Lure
by Simplice
Summary: Why was Annie really brought into the CIA still untrained? Auggie has just found out why she was brought in early a year ago-and things are about to get exciting!
1. Curiosity

Disclaimer: All standard disclaimers apply—I do not own Covert Affairs, I had no hand in its creation, blah blah blah.

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Auggie, though a dear friend of Annie's, had at first befriended her out of a few reasons, not altogether altruistic. Partially he had heard her heels clicking, those delicious kitten heels, and knew that she both had to be fresh meat to the CIA—he had definitely never heard the footsteps of whoever wore those heels before—and very beautiful. It was always interesting to meet the fresh meat, see if they fit the profile. He had also wanted to meet her because he had heard the story; they pulled in a girl, a trainee. Something felt wrong there. And finally, he knew how it felt to feel so lost in the CIA: after he lost his sight everything was a maze to him, and he knew how a trainee must feel. And thus, he mostly met with Annie to satisfy his own curiosity about the beautiful trainee suddenly shoved into the CIA, and slightly out of a sense of compassion.

During the course of their first day, and the following weeks he had learned that in some ways she was exactly what he expected, and in other ways not at all. Auggie knew very well that she was beautiful, that she was at her most insecure in her relationships, and that she, like so many other operatives, had been burned by love and was closed off in some ways. Mostly he learned this: Annie was a great operative, but why had they pulled her in before finishing training? And why was Jai sent to watch Annie?

That was another thing he knew: Jai could not have been transferred, so close to Annie's joining the team, without his brain screaming that it was more than a coincidence. Further, Jai was a more highly ranked operative: to be lowered to the DPD would be a demotion. Having his fingers in the databanks, Auggie knew that Jai had done nothing wrong to earn a demotion. He had also noticed that Conrad wasn't around—why would the higher ups send 2 agents away without something big going on? So, with such a huge 'coincidence' and no other reason: Jai was following Annie.

Why Annie though? Why was Jai Annie's shadow? Sure Annie wasn't the typical agent—unlike so many other's she sweet and sensitive, and not at all the ambitious, power-hungry type. Although Joan had some element of that in her personality, Auggie knew she was so much more—but that certainly couldn't describe a lot of the other women in the boys' club. Annie was…she was Annie, and that had grown on Auggie.

Their being such close friends didn't eliminate his curiosity, and his eagerness to try to learn about her, about why the CIA brought her in so green, behind her back. And now he may have finally found the answer to all of his questions about her that he'd never really gotten a good answer to.

Why was Annie brought in green?

Why was Jai assigned to watch Annie?

Where was Conrad?

And why was Annie unable to let go of that man from the beach nearly three years ago?

The answer to all of the above, Auggie found as he read his Braille screen, had to do with a CIA agent who went rogue and turned into an assassin; A top-notch assassin by the name of Ben Mercer.

Annie had been the bait to lure out her ex-boyfriend, Mercer.

Jai was watching her trying to learn more about the quarry, see if he made any contact. He was also protection.

Conrad had been assigned to tail Mercer.

And Auggie? He wasn't to know any of this. The file indicated that Joan was against the situation, against Annie being used as chum in a pool of sharks. Arthur's file, (which Auggie definitely wasn't supposed to have access to) mentioned that Annie was not to be allowed near Ben, if the situation could be prevented.

_Agent Walker has an impulsive streak. It is uncertain whether she would go rogue with Mercer, or shoot him if the situation was presented. Tests needed._

Reading that final note, Auggie felt unsetteled. She wouldn't really….would she?


	2. Stalking

Disclaimer: If any idiot thinks I own this…please make efforts so that I get my cut of proceeds. I'll have to laugh if you try to give me money, because I don't own anything involved with Covert Affairs.

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For the last week Annie had been noticing something odd. It was very unsettling for her. The feeling was like flashing back to a nightmare of unknowingly walking down the hall of high school, or the first day of work, stark naked. The dread just sickened her stomach, made her feel like people knew something that she didn't. Or rather, one person knew something she didn't. Auggie.

For the last week Auggie hadn't joked with her nearly so much, and every line of his body was tense and alert, as if he were paying attention to everything about her as best he could. The intensity of his strangeness, how tense his shoulders, only increased around Jai. Despite the awkwardness, and the silence brewing between the best friends, Auggie always insisted on going to the bar with her after work, and catching a ride to his apartment (very near Langley and the Department of Defense which was his cover—they did after all accept blind computer techs) from her. Yet when they got there, and he saw Jai, Auggie became downright antagonistic, trying to keep her away from him.

Annie wasn't sure how she felt about Auggie and Jai. She wished Auggie were nicer to him, or would at least explain why they didn't get along well. Yet, in the past week, Auggie had become even more belligerent toward Jai, yet refused to leave when the two of them upped the anti on their flirting. She almost got the impression that he was attempting to chaperone her and Jai!

She'd gotten sick of Auggie's oddness. And so, a little more than a week after Auggie began acting strange and resentful of Jai, and even Joan (certainly Arthur more than was the standard) she decided to corner him. Only how to do so?

Auggie had once been a field agent, and was constantly jonesing to get back into the field—yes he was excellent with computers, but it wasn't his first love. Thus her being a NOC, with only 9 months of experience under her belt wasn't enough to trick him easily. So whatever she did had to be completely in the realm of normal for her, but just enough to get him alone with her.

In the end, she had come up with a fairly standard plan, something that thought she had done less often as a more experienced agent, had been very common in her first weeks. Annie decided to feign being very stressed-out, and needing advice. The roof courtyard was the perfect location. And so the next morning she planned to come in at the bare latest minute, without coffee, acting stressed, make sure the morning goes lousy, and then…get his "help."

She only wished her plan didn't have to wait another day to be put into action. But today, August Anderson was on the top of his game—growling at Jai, refusing to let her out of his hearing range. It was really annoying her!

And so, after a full day of it, and at the bar for a drink before heading home, Annie had to make her escape. Putting on a charming smile, she turned to her friend, "Auggie, I'll be back in a moment, don't let some cute college girl take my place, okay?" At his enquiring look she added, "Ladies' room," before making her way to the restroom bar. Normally she preferred to avoid public restrooms at bars, but tonight…she was glad to spend five minutes standing in front of the mirror, doing anything but dealing with how odd her friend was being. They'd sat there for 10 minutes without him saying a word! No jokes, just looking at her, although he saw nothing!

On her way back to Auggie, she suddenly pulled herself up short. Auggie was gone. Looking around she caught sight of him being escorted out of the bar with a man—Jai! What were those two doing?

Allowing them to get a lead she quietly walked on the balls, of her feet so that her heels didn't click against the floor alerting Auggie, toward the two men. When she was just near enough to hear their whispered conversation, concealed around the corner of a building, she stopped and listened.

Jai was speaking, "—up with you? I know you don't like me, you've proved that time and time again. But what? Don't like that I'm getting close with Annie? Jealous? What is it Anderson?"

There was iron in August's voice as he replied, something Annie had rarely ever heard in her friend's voice. "She is my friend, that's what. She's supposed to be yours too! Or is she just a job to you? I know about your ass—"

Annie growled low in her throat, disappointed. A couple people had just walked past, entering the already busy bar. She knew in her gut that the two men wouldn't continue their conversation that close to the door—with a sigh, and a busy mind she retreated to the table where she and Auggie had been sitting—thankfully it was still empty.

Annie realized that her intention to corner Auggie to learn more was even more vital. This could not continue: she had to know what was upsetting Auggie…it seemed to her that he knew something. And she wasn't liking the sound of it.


	3. Learning

Disclaimer: All claims to Covert Affairs are hereby 'dis'-ed.

His standard, non-spook cane, clicked on the bar floor as he walked back toward where he had parted from Annie. In the crowd of people he could only hope his memory was as precise as possible, or she saw him on the way—and that she had indeed returned from her restroom trip. As he neared the location he was sure she'd be at, her voice rang out, "Auggie! Trying to bum a ride home from a co-ed again?"

He forced a grin onto his face. Didn't Annie realize that his 'walks of shame' weren't really such at all? He had a lot of similar outfits in his closet, so that he would always know they matched…in a rush some mornings he managed to pick the same vest, or he actually never left work at all. "Not on your life Walker! You're not ditching me again."

Making his way to the table he reached about for the top of the chair to pull it back, only to hear a squeak—Annie pushed it back for him, "Ladies first," she teased gently.

Another beer, a few quips, a bit of awkward silence later, and the two friends made their way to Annie's car. Once inside Annie locked the doors, but didn't start the engine. He turned his head toward her, curiously.

"You know, I had this great plan, but this works too—you want to tell me what that was about?" Auggie put on a perfected look of confusion.

"Don't give me that. Yeah, yeah, I know, never admit anything. Well guess what? I heard you and Jai." Dropping her voice she mimicked, "'Or is she just a job to you? I know about your ass—'. And I'm pretty sure you weren't talking about my actual ass."

A thousand thoughts rushed through Auggie's mind at once. What was he to do? He wasn't supposed to know, not anything—Annie had never actually told him her ex's name, he didn't have authorized access to her personnel file, and certainly not to case files he hadn't been read into. Annie wouldn't be happy to know he'd pried. Nor would she be happy to be left out of the loop…and sooner or later she would find out. Either way she would be angry with him…

"Annie…it's…Have you ever wondered why jai follows you? Why you were brought in to the CIA without even finishing the Farm?" He could hear her breathing change, and he could feel tension in the air. "I was curious and…I dug into files I shouldn't have been able to. Annie, I know."

The engine of the car turned on, and instead of speaking to him Annie began to drive, a little faster than normal or was strictly safe. After a moment, Auggie continued, a little unsure: he'd never had to give Annie news like this before. It was one thing to be trained to give it to outsiders, another to give it to your best friend. "The man…from Sri Lanka? He's not who you think he is. Ben Mercer was in the CIA until 3 years ago. He disappeared on a mission in southern India. He assassinated the man he was supposed to protect—and has been assassinating people around the world since."

As he spoke Annie had gotten onto the highway, driving ever faster. They were already almost to his house. Despite his finely tuned ability at reading Annie, without sight even, Auggie was clueless as to her mental state at the moment. She had clamped it all down, as if she were undercover—she really was remarkably good at that, for the amount of training she had.

"There's more Annie…he's why you're in the service and Jai…"

She whipped her head to him, and pulled up in front of his condo with a screech. "Out! Stay out of my file!"

Auggie, with a feeling of guilt, but also as if he were the one ripping a band-aid off a crying child, slowly got out of the car, cane in hand. As he shut the door and muttered his goodnights, he almost thought he heard her mutter an apology, before putting the car into gear and spinning away from his place.


	4. Tensions

Disclaimer: I don't own the series, or any of the characters from the show. Also—there are some spoilers for the first episode of season 2, so, warning made people.

Authors Note: I saw that nobody had posted after the new episode came out, and I just felt he desire to post this today, instead of working on it tomorrow like I had planned! Sorry for the long break everyone.

Chapter 3: Tensions

After that night, when Annie had told Auggie to stay out of her file, things had been tense for a while. Auggie still knew information that Annie wasn't ready to listen to. She still wouldn't listen and missed Ben, and trusted the CIA. After a few days of tension, Annie had apologized, but told him that she wasn't ready to hear anything yet.

She had stood by him when it came out that he had been sleeping with Eliza Hern, trying to find out whom her source was. Annie knew that Auggie was loyal to the CIA, and loyal to their friendship…he had proved that time and again. And yet…she always felt a twinge of unhappiness when thinking about Eliza, shocked that her best friend could sleep with a woman for work purposes. Annie was often Miss Morality of the two, Auggie normally right at her side.

Annie also knew that, as loyal as Auggie was, there were always the things he would try to find out that he hadn't been read into, and he was always up for breaking procedure with her. He loved the field, and would do a lot, against the rules, to feel his blood pound. But Auggie was always on the right side.

And so, when the time had come to meet Ben, to apparently fulfill her role, she kept on remembering what Auggie had let slip that month ago: She was Jai's job and her recruitment into the CIA had something to do with Ben Mercer, who supposedly had gone AWOL and turned into an assassin. As she kissed him in his hospital chair in Guam, the thought filtered through her mind, "Is he really who he says he is?" And then they'd been chased after by hired guns, and he had disappeared from the Army hospital in the States. The orderly had said that no Ben Mercer had ever been in that room.

Who was Ben Mercer really?

Annie felt as if her heart had been ripped out. She had been told her Ben, the man who had won her heart in Sri Lanka, who she had been so passionate about, was a CIA agent, and a rogue one at that. She had been told he'd assassinated his asset. And then he had showed up in her life again, and she had instantly forgotten all of that. Until she was kissing him. Until they were chased by thugs.

Who was Ben Mercer really?

And now he was gone again, disappeared…it was like her heart didn't matter to him, like he was playing her. Joan said that he was like a high risk, high profit asset…Annie was pretty sure that Joan had been telling her to free her heart now, while she had the chance, because Ben would never stick around. She was pretty sure that Jai had told her the same thing too.

But Annie was determined. She wanted to know how badly she had been played…it was time to stop avoiding that conversation with Auggie. They'd been friends, comrades, but in the month since she had told him to keep out of her file, they had not broached the subject of who Ben Mercer really was or why she had been recruited into the CIA, and then into a job faster than the Farm could train her.

It was the end of another day at the office, after her conversation with a woman who knew a hard truth: sometimes you have to let things go, no matter how much you love them. A frown on her face, and her heels clicking, Annie walked toward Auggie's desk. His mop of dark hair, and his trademark grin lit up when she walked up to him. "How would my best partner like to go to the pub?"

Collecting his things, Auggie told her she was buying. After drinking some so-called "liquid courage" Annie drove Auggie home, still sober enough for the wheel and the conversation ahead.

"Uhh Annie? Where are we going? These aren't the right turns to get to my place." The man looked at her, his eyes gazing in the general area of her head, unseeing.

"I know. It's time we talked Auggie."

Tension crackled, as both felt nervous without knowing why. Annie was finally ready for the truth, and things were about to change.


End file.
